Megan Brooks May 11, 2023 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the antipsychotic brexpiprazole (Rexulti, Otsuka and Lundbeck) for agitation associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), making it the first FDA-approved drug for this indication. “Agitation is one of the most common and challenging aspects of care among patients with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease,” Tiffany Farchione, MD, director...
Month: <span>May 2023</span>
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CASES OF KIDS DIAGNOSED WITH PROFOUND AUTISM ON THE RISE
The Centers for Disease Control study shows that a quarter of children with autism are diagnosed with profound autism and are most likely to be poor, female, and non-white. Here, Walter Zahorodny, director of the New Jersey Autism Study at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, who helped compile the data and compute the results, discusses the more than 16 years of patient...
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Investigation raises questions over lack of “substantial evidence” for FDA approved antibiotic
BMJ Drugs approved in the US require “substantial evidence” that they are effective. But an investigation by The BMJ into the recent approval of the antibiotic Recarbrio from Merck suggests that these standards are being bypassed. Peter Doshi, senior editor at The BMJ, describes how US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists had serious doubts about Recarbrio...
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Statin use cuts five-year stroke risk for patients with atrial fibrillation
by Lori Solomon Statin use is associated with a lower risk for incident stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) in a duration-dependent manner among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the European Heart Rhythm Association, held from April 16 to 18 in Barcelona, Spain. Jiayi Huang,...
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New understanding of “wavy wounds” may make for faster post-op healing
By Ben Coxworth May 15, 2023 Members of the research team include (from left to right) PhD student Zhou Quan, Prof. K Jimmy Hsia, PhD student Xu Hongmei and Asst. Prof. Huang ChangjinNanyang Technological University For some time now, it has been observed that wounds with a zig-zag pattern heal faster than those which simply...
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PBMs, the brokers who control drug prices, finally get Washington’s attention
by Arthur Allen Credit: CC0 Public Domain For two decades, patients and physicians eagerly awaited a lower-cost version of the world’s bestselling drug, Humira, while its maker, AbbVie, fought off potential competitors by building a wall of more than 250 patents around it. When the first Humira biosimilar—essentially a generic version—finally hit the market in...
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People with alopecia found to have higher risk for inflammatory arthritis
by Lori Solomon Alopecia areata (AA) is associated with a higher risk for inflammatory arthritis, according to a study published online April 28 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Colin M. Kincaid, from University of California at Irvine, and colleagues used medical records from 75 health care organizations (TriNetx) to determine if an association exists between...
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Key Red Flags for Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer
Megan Brooks May 11, 2023 As the number of cases of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosed before age 50 continues to rise, early detection has become increasingly important. A new study has identified four signs and symptoms that can serve as red flags to facilitate earlier detection of early-onset CRC. The signs and symptoms are abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, diarrhea,...
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U.S. COVID Public Health Emergency Is Ending. Here’s What That Means
By Lauren J. Young on May 9, 2023 Hundreds lined up in below-freezing temperatures to get free COVID test kits at the Gaithersburg Library branch in Gaithersburg, Md., on January 10, 2022. This was part of a program to distribute test kits to Montgomery County residents at local libraries. Each person would receive two boxes, each containing two kits. Credit: Michael S....
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Managing menopause: Hormone therapy is back
by Canadian Medical Association Journal Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Hot flashes, night sweats and sleep disturbances are common symptoms of menopause that can affect health, quality of life and work productivity. A new review published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ ) recommends menopausal hormone therapy, historically known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), as first-line treatment in people without risk factors....